The Last Day Of A Stage in Life
by Sandileina
Summary: 31st in the Rikkai Drabblethings. The entrance exam results for the third years are in!


**Disclaimer: **Here's a random fact: Ligers are freakin' huge. Here's another random fact: I don't own Prince of Tennis, or any of the characters. :)

**Rating: **PG, I think?

**Warnings: **Language (one strong), shounen-ai/yaoi, one drug reference that I don't even think I need to put in the warnings but will anyway. Cos I'm weird like that.

**Summary: **31st in the Rikkai Drabblethings. The entrance exam results for the third years are in!

**Author's notes:** Another Rikkai Drabblething. **You don't have to have read the ones that come before this, but it might help a bit. **The drabblething list goes:

**Times of Stress**

**Passing the Time**

**How to ask out Marui Bunta**

**Four Days Later**

**October Ice**

**Because I Love You**

**Evil**

**Further Nonsense**

**Dear Diary**

**Kind of… the same**

**100 Word Challenges**

**Driver in a Hurry, Child in a Coma**

**Doctor, doctor!**

**The Woes of Solomon Grundy**

**I'm Not Going**

**The Little Things**

**I Had To**

**He WHAT?!**

**Operation: Christmas Party**

**Being Fukubuchou**

**Once Upon a Time**

**My Brother Bunta**

**Dear Diary: Living with Niou-senpai**

**A Morning at the Pool**

**This is Love**

**SFRR**

**And So It Begins**

**Most Unexpected**

**This Is March 5th**

**No Small Wonder**

**The Last Day Of A Stage in Life**

Firstly… Yes, Operation: Christmas Party will be updated. Soon. n.n;; I promise. It just might… take a while… eh heh. But feel free to keep on bugging me! That way I might actually get it done sooner rather than later… Secondly, this was meant to be uploaded on the 15th. You'll have to take a little step back in time. xD

**Linc, SupernaturalFreak1, Urei Sachi, KiriharaAkaya, Ryuu Amethyst, Hropkey, Lady Chaos, Ahotep, Toh Sock, Blufox, Critic, Ellab86, Simmy.xxx, Risa-chan, Merissala, Roey Cleine, Britix, Eirin, Kawaii-Gaara-Chan, Roaming Phantom, Brosiscomplex **and **Pikke Wood** all rock socks for reviewing 'No Small Wonder'. There's 22 of you! Oh, it makes me so happy… n.n

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Niou was woken up at six thirty by a wide-eyed, bouncing Akaya. Not one of his favourite ways to wake up.

"Go. Back. To. Fucking. Sleep." Niou's voice promised Death with a capital D if Akaya didn't do as he was told.

However, the second-year had built up a strong immunity to Niou over time. Even the actual fear of his senpai was growing less with each day.

"It's the fifteenth! It's the fifteenth! Niou-senpai, wake up!"

Niou willed Akaya's curly head to just squish for a minute. It didn't happen; the dimensional walls obviously hadn't ripped yet. Maybe tomorrow.

"I don't _care_. It's Saturday. Go back to sleep, or I'll get out Mr. Wiggles again."

At the mention of the giant tarantula that Niou kept alive in his aunt's greenhouse, Akaya eeped and scrambled back under his covers. He didn't lie down though; he just sat there with the thin blankets pooled around his waist. "They'll be putting up the results now! Don't you wanna know what you got?"

"I can wait. Why're _you_ so damn excited, anyway? It's not like you took the exam." Niou's voice was muffled from having his head under the pillow. He liked to think that if he stayed under there long enough, then maybe the world would stop behaving like it was on a permanent acid trip.

"No, the second-years still had to take it. Just to see what we'd have gotten. It doesn't count for anything, but still. And I bet Maru-chan's there, or on his way there."

"Oh, right… you just wanna go see your damn boyfriend."

"Well, that too. Come on, Niou-senpai. Please?"

"No."

"Please?"

"Bratling, if you don't shut up _right now_ then I really will go and get Mr. Wiggles."

"But then you'd have to get out of bed, right? So you may as well go."

Niou sat up and chucked the pillow at Akaya, who caught it easily even over the short distance. Damn his reflexes.

"Remind me to think up some suitable revenge for Mura," he grumbled under his breath, getting reluctantly out of bed and heading for the shower.

"What for?"

"What do you think? For making me take you everywhere like your babysitter! You're fourteen, you can walk to school and back at six thirty in the morning on your own, but no-o, I've got to accompany you cos Mura worries _way_ too much about your scrawny ass…" The rest of Niou's complaints were drowned out, literally, by the sound of the shower. Akaya grinned gleefully to himself and got dressed. He was starting to get the hang of the volatile Trickster. _Finally_. He had Marui to thank for a lot of it, but still. It was an achievement-in-the-making that Akaya was very proud of.

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"Just as I thought," Yanagi mused, ticking something in his notebook. "Niou was persuaded to come by Akaya, Jackal's parents made him come, Yagyuu was dragged along by Niou, Marui came of his own accord, as did you… Mura should be along in about half an hour, if my data's correct."

"Alright. Can I leave you to make sure Akaya and Marui don't run off somewhere?"

"Of course."

"Thanks. I'll get your envelope."

"Get Mura's too."

"I will." Sanada set off into the small crowd that was gathered round Rikkai Dai Fuzokuchuu's front doors.

Yanagi started as Yukimura suddenly appeared next to him, looking sleepy. "Is everyone here?" he asked, the last syllable interrupted by a yawn.

"Yes. You weren't meant to arrive for another half hour, Mura."

"You know how much I like to prove your data wrong, Renji."

Yanagi looked almost petulant. "It doesn't really count if you do it on purpose," he pointed out.

"Of course it does. Your data should be able to predict me going against it on purpose, right?"

Sighing, Yanagi shut his notebook and tucked it away into his pocket. "I can't be bothered to get into an argument with you this early in the morning," he said.

Chuckling, his friend folded his arms comfortably and surveyed the crowd. Some people were drifting further to the side as they received the envelopes which contained the all-important exam results, along with a sheet detailing their exact scores in each subject area. The pass score was seven hundred and fifty out of a possible thousand – a whole five percent higher than Seigaku's, according to Inui-via-Yanagi. Then again, Rikkai was a very academically-driven school.

Yukimura and Yanagi (along with a large portion of the crowd) looked towards the line of hedges as a very loud, ecstatic whoop was heard. Most of the crowd shrugged and looked away again once they saw who it was; Akaya was well known throughout the whole school.

"Looks like Akaya achieved a 'pass' score," Yanagi said, looking mildly surprised. "He hasn't even covered a whole year's worth of the syllabus on there."

"It's Akaya," said Yukimura fondly. "He's a very bright boy."

There was a muttered, "Watch it, Kirihara," from one of the third years that Akaya accidentally barged into on his way over to Yukimura. Normally they'd have gotten themselves into the start of a fight, but this morning Akaya barely gave them a second glance.

"I passed!" he yelled, right into Yanagi's ear. The data player winced and took a step back, letting Yukimura take the brunt of the hyper boy.

"Well _done_, Akaya," Yukimura said, rewarding him with a huge smile. Akaya shoved the envelope and papers in front of Yukimura's eyes and he took them as Akaya started jumping all over a two metre radius in joy.

"The scroll at the front says we all passed," Sanada reported as he joined them; "we" meaning, of course, the Regulars.

"Excellent," Yanagi nodded. "There was a very, very tiny percentage chance of one of us failing, so I was sure no-one would."

"It's still a relief to know, isn't it?" Sanada said, passing Yanagi and Yukimura their envelopes.

"984," Yanagi said, pleased, looking over his subject scores. "I lost some marks in world history and biology… pretty good. That reminds me; can I jot down your results when you've finished reading them?"

"Oh, you and your data," Marui snorted dismissively, coming over to join them and giving Akaya a kiss on the cheek. "Can't believe you passed, Aka-chan! What did you get?"

"752," Akaya chanted happily, showing Marui the piece of paper. "I passed by two marks, but it's still a pass! I could go to high school!"

Marui laughed. "Well, at least you're probably set for next year, when you take the actual entrance exam. Hey, Yanagi, what was the year average?"

"I'm not sure, actually," Yanagi said, turning to Sanada questioningly.

"850 was the average," Sanada supplied, glancing up momentarily from his results out of politeness.

Marui pouted. "Damn. Eh, well, only ten marks off. Who failed, fukubuchou?"

"I don't make a habit of inquiring into other peoples' business," answered Sanada. "Go look on the scroll if you're curious."

"What did you get, Bunta?" Jackal asked, finally managing to escape from the steadily growing crowd. "I got 853. Three over average."

"Ten below," Marui replied, high-fiving him. "I probably lost marks for drawing little pirate camels down the margin… I guess the examiner probably didn't like the tampon tree either."

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that last bit and just ask everyone what they got, shall I?" Yagyuu asked dryly, Niou next to him. "I got 887."

"Renji and I tied at 984," Yukimura said, still beaming proudly at Akaya. Yanagi looked momentarily surprised before scribbling it down.

"Woah, 984?! Damn, Mura, way to be smart," Marui complained.

"Way to revise, you mean," Niou said snarkily.

"Oh yeah? So what did _you_ get, Idon'tgottarevisecosIdon'twantto-san?"

"979, _actually_." Niou took a moment to bask in the shocked looks before taking a leisurely handful of Akaya's hair and using it to drag him in the direction of the exit/entrance gates. "I beat you by nine, fukubuchou. You owe me candy of some kind."

"Let go!" Akaya yelped, kicking ineffectually at Niou.

"Uncle 'Haru wants to go home and _sleep_, bratling. You've got your results and your kiss, so quit whining."

Akaya didn't listen, naturally, and the two struggled to the gates and out, Marui chasing after to try and rescue his boyfriend.

"Why do you owe Niou candy?" Yagyuu asked warily, visibly imagining a sugar-fuelled Trickster loose on the streets.

"Haven't you learnt that you can't win a bet with him yet?" chuckled Jackal.

Sanada looked distinctly satisfied. "I knew I'd lose, so, now he's going to get some tranquilised sweets. It was Keigo's idea. Apparently, Niou's been messing with… I can't quite remember, something to do with Keigo's training schedule and the Hyoutei clubhouse. Anyway, this is Keigo's little revenge for that."

"Atobe can be quite petty when he wants to be," Yanagi commented. Sanada nodded in agreement, dark eyes going soft as he thought of him.

"Well, I gotta go," Jackal said, folding up his sheets of paper and putting them in his pocket. "My parents are waiting in the car. See you guys sometime over the holidays?"

"Definitely," Yukimura nodded. "See you."

Jackal waved and left. Yagyuu left too after a long string of courtesies, leaving only the three Demons of Rikkai Dai standing together.

"Strange to think that you won't be our buchou come April," Yanagi said thoughtfully.

"Mm. I won't be fukubuchou either."

Yukimura chuckled slightly. "I think you'll still be fukubuchou in the minds of most of them." Them being, again, the current Regulars. "I doubt Marui, for instance, will start calling you Sanada or Genichiroh just because we've moved to highschool."

"That's true…"

They stood there for a moment in companiable silence, each looking at the building that they'd seen the last of, for the most part.

"You've explained to the coach who you're appointing as buchou and fukubuchou for the team, right?" Sanada asked.

"Of course. He'll tell them in the new year."

"Please tell me Akaya's not buchou." But there wasn't much hope in Sanada's voice.

"Of course he is. Who else would I trust to be our-sorry, their, figurehead?"

Sanada closed his eyes. "I feel so sorry for the fukubuchou who has to support him."

"Hirosawa-kun is very reliable. I'm sure he'll cope with Akaya."

In unspoken agreement the three started to walk towards the gates. "He'll have a nervous breakdown a month into the job. You do realise that?"

"He'll be fine, Genichiroh. Honestly, if you keep worrying about the tennis team when you're not even a member of it any more then you _will_ drive yourself to an early grave."

"He's right, Genichiroh," Yanagi nodded. "You'll have enough to worry about next year when we're trying for the high school Regulars."

"Yukimura, if by any remote chance you're made first-year Captain as Sasaki-sensei says you might be, then please make Renji fukubuchou. I barely survived one year; I won't be able to _live_ through three."

"Genichiroh, you're being a drama queen. Come on; since we're up this early we may as well play a couple of matches on the courts by the river. Ne?"

"Sure," Yanagi nodded, ignoring Sanada's pained expression. "I'm guessing we're stopping by our houses to pick our stuff up, right?"

"Of course." They left junior high behind them as they walked out of the grounds, and none of them took a single look back.

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Sandy: -Squeaks happily- Well, our boys have graduated! (Minus Akaya, of course ;.; poor baby…)

Reviews would rock my world, and if you quote your favourite bit from this Drabblething in your review then I'll love you even more. n.n

You know the drill; questions, suggestions, comments, etc, all are welcome.

Until next time!


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